Arthur hadwen



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Letters Patent No. 75,543, dated March 17, 1868.-

IMPROVEMEN T IN POTATO-DIGGERS.

(tin strata marsh tn in tha itttttrs battle not making not at it: same TO ALL ,WHOM IT MAY CONCERN} Be it known that I, 'Anrnnn HADWEN, of the city of Rochester, in the State of New York, (formerly of] thc county-0f Yorkshire, in England,) have invented a newand useful Potato-Digger and I do hereby declare that thc following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is; a topvicw of my potato-digger.

Figure 2 is a vertical section. Figure 3 is a. View of one side with a latch attached. Figure 4 is a side elevation of thefront end of one side 0.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of this invention may he better understood from the drawings and specification.

I suspend on an axle, A, between two wheels B, a potato-digger, formed with two sides 0, made of --iron.. These sides extend in frontbeyond the wheels B, and are joined together by a sharp scraper, D, in the centre of which is a shovel-plough, E. V In the bottom, between the sides forming part of my potato-digger, I place a horizontal rotary screen, F. This screen is suspended on an upright shaft, Gr. Across the bottom I extend a bar of iron, H, from one side to'the other, which forms a step or bearing for the lower end of the shaft e; and just below the axle A, I place anothenbar K, reaching from one sideto the other, which forms a snpport'and bearing for the upper end of the shaft A, and also the'gearing which gives it motion. On the axle A, Ikey a bevel-wheel, O, which j gears into a bevel-wheel, J, connected with a spur-wheel, as shown at L, both of which are kept in their place by a shaft, P, resting on the bar K. The lower end of this shaft is put-into a holeforming a journal-box in the .bar K. The spur-wheel L gears intoa pinion, R, on the upright shaft G of the screen F.

The position of the bevel-wheelO, as shown in the drawings, will drive the screen in the'direction indicated by "the red arrows, but it can be driven in the contrary direction, by putting on the axle a reverse bevel-wheel, to.

gear into the bevel-wheel at J. On the rear and at the bottom of the sides 0, I fasten an arm,A, havingau upright shaft at its outer end for a pulley, as shown at S. For convenience, this arm A may be'changcd from one side to the other, or one maybe attached to each side. Around the upright shaft G of the'screen F and the pulley S, I run a belt, T. On one orv both sidesO, I bolt a latch, B, pivoted atone end and resting on a pin, as shown in fig. 3. On the front of this machine I attach two bars of iron connected in the centre and bolted to the sides 0, for the purpose of drawing the machine by. At or near the centre of these bars, I fasten a rod of iron, W, bent inform of a segment of a circle, and extend down near the scraper D, for drawing out potato-tops. The bars 1) are held in their place at any angle to themachine desired, by a rod of iron running from them to the sides G, and fastened by a jam-screw, shown at D in 4. On the inside of sides O and near the forward end, I bolt an eccentric-cam, y, to hold and regulate the scraper in any desired angle-to the 7 surface of the ground. On the rear of the scraper I fasten a series of iron rods, which extend back tothe rotaryscreen, as shown in fig. 1, which carry the dirt and potatoes to the. screen. On the sides 0, I fasten suitable handles K. v

r The operation of this machine is such that as it is drawn over the ground, the driving-wheels B are-held fast to the axle by clutch and spring, partly shown in fig. 1,011 the ends of the axle, thereby imparting motion to the axle, from which motion is communicated to the rotary screen by. the b'evel-wheelO J, and spur-wheel L and R; ,At the same time the shovel-plough E and scraper D pass in and under the-hills of potatoes, carrying the dirt and potatoes on to the revolving screen F, and the dirt is 'separated from the potatoes by the screen. The potatoes are to the rearrof the screen, and drawn from it by the belt T, and deposited on the ground .in rows. The latch B is intended to rise if anything should. get between the sides and the screen, and allow it to be carried around with the screen,'so as not'to prevent the free action of the screen, which would be the case if the sides were without the latch. The scraper, is drawn into the ground to any desired depth by lowering or raising therear edge, which is accomplished by the eccentric-cam y. The belt, as it travels aroundfrom the upright shaft G to the arm A, draws thepotatoes 0d the screen.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 1. The arrangement of the rotary 'screen F, arm A, pulley S, in combination with the belt '1, substantially in the manner herein shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. 1 claim the arrangement of the scraper D, eccentric-gum 3 in combination with the shovel-plough. E, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein shown and described.

3. The arrangement of the latch B in combination with the sides C, for the purposes herein shown and described.

ARTHUR HADWEN.

Witnesses: t I

JAs. LORENZO GAGE, C. SOOFIELD. 

